Frank Womack
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis Womack | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.74 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Full Back (Deceased) | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | n/a | ||
Frank Womack (b. Stannington, Sheffield, 16 September 1888, d. Caistor, October 8, 1968), was an English football player and manager. He still holds the league appearances record for Birmingham City playing 491 games[1] and holds the league record for most games (511) by an outfield player without scoring a goal.[2]
Playing career
Frank Womack began his professional football career in July 1908 when he joined Birmingham from Rawmarsh Albion, having previously played for Lapham Street. He made his league debut in September 1908, away to Gainsborough Trinity. He spent nearly his entire playing career at Birmingham, never signing a contract, and was club captain for 16 years from 1912 to 1928.[3]
During his time at the club, they twice finished in 3rd place in the Second Division (1913, 1920) and won the Second Division in 1921 and were still in the First Division when Womack left in May 1928 to join Worcester City as player-manager. In his first season with Worcester, Womack guided them to the Birmingham League title and to the first round of the FA Cup. He returned to League football at the end of the season, joining Torquay United, where he played a further 19 league games and 1 FA Cup appearance.
Management
In July 1930 Womack took over from Albert Hoskins as manager of Torquay. United finished 11th in Division Three (South) in his first season, but slumped to 19th the following season.
In May 1932, Womack was appointed as manager of Grimsby Town, just after their relegation from the First Division. Whilst manager of Grimsby Town, Womack guided them to their great period of success, with promotion back to the First Division as champions, an all time highest league placing of 5th in 1935 and a FA Cup semi final in 1936.
In October 1936, Womack moved to Leicester City as manager, then near the bottom of Division Two. He signed Jack Bowers from Derby County, and his goals (33 in 27 games) helped City to the title and promotion. He resigned following their relegation in May 1939. Just before World War II was declared, the local Leicester newspapers published articles that claimed that Womack had several thousand pounds available to spend on players. Womack disputed this and referred all enquirers to his Board of Directors. As a direct result, he resigned and moved to Fleetwood, Lancashire in April 1940.
He returned to management in July 1942, taking over at Notts County, but left three years later. In February 1945 he took over at Oldham Athletic, but resigned in April 1947 after Oldham had struggled in the first post-war season.
Womack went back to Grimsby for a stint as 'guest' manager January in 1951 for 5 months whilst manager Charlie Spencer was recovering from an illness. He left in May 1951, after Grimsby's relegation.
Honours
As a Player
Birmingham City
- Second Division Champions: 1921
- Second Division 3rd Place: 1913, 1920
- Birmingham Senior Cup Winners: 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922
As a Manager
Grimsby Town
- Second Division Champions: 1934
Leicester City
- Second Division Champions: 1937
References
- ^ Birmingham City records at Soccerbase
- ^ League scoring records at allfootballers.com
- ^ Club Officials & Backroom Staff at The Birmingham City FC archive